GLENDAL, Arizona (AP) — Max Duggan threw four touchdowns, TCU responded with two interceptions and scored, and the third-place Horned Frogs weathered Michigan’s second-half frenzy to win the Fiesta Bowl 51-45 on Saturday. night and forward to the national college football playoff championship.
TCU (13-1), the most unlikely team to ever make a four-team playoff in its nine-year history, has one more game Left in its incredible season and will face either No. 1 Georgia or No. 4 from Ohio. January 9 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
After a losing 2021 season and being selected to finish seventh in the Big 12 in Sonny Dykes’ first year as coach, the Horned Frogs will attempt to win the program’s first national championship since 1938.
Duggan and the Frogs will no doubt be underdogs again. It didn’t matter much against Michigan (13-1) as they took it from the big, bad Big Ten champions and turned the Fiesta Bowl into circa 2010, Big 12 style.
It was the highest scoring Fiesta Bowl game ever and the second highest scoring CFP game since Georgia’s 54–48 Rose Bowl victory over Oklahoma on January 1, 2018.
This one was 34-16 with 2:46 left in the third quarter, and the Hypnotoads, a moniker borrowed from the animated TV show Futurama, and their purple-clad fans felt their mad game wasn’t over yet.
Of course, these Frogs did not get anything for the whole year. In their unbeaten regular season, they won seven games in a row by 10 points or less.
This was followed by five touchdowns – with a TCU flip in between – each taking less than a minute.
An 18-yard touchdown by Roman Wilson with a reverse and a 2-point conversion put Michigan 41–38 with 14:13 left in the fourth quarter.
The Frogs are back, using their best weapons. Future first-round draft pick Quentin Johnston took a short cross from Duggan and moved him to the sideline for 76 yards, giving the Frogs a 10 lead.
TCU finally stopped Michigan’s next possession and turned it into a 33-yard Griffin Kell field goal to put the score up 51–38 with 10:02 left.
After the Frogs and Wolverines scored 62 points in 20 minutes of the second half, the pace slowed. But Michigan cut the lead to six with 3:14 left on JJ McCarthy’s 5-yard TD pass to Wilson.
TCU was unable to freeze him and Michigan made another roll, starting at 25 with 52 seconds left, but failed to lose first.
Before the TCU could line up in victory formation, officials conducted a frog targeting test. What other minute or so of drama in the season has filled it for TCU?
The game was clean. Heisman Trophy runner-up Duggan snapped his knee one last time and the exhausted frogs rushed onto the field and celebrated under a cloud of purple and white confetti.
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AP American Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25
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